Archbishop Hoser described the shrine as 'Europe's spiritual lungs' and said more infrastructure was needed

Hypocrites call out scandal to make themselves seem pure, the Pope said

Many find the time more convenient – and are prepared to travel

Screenwriters still resort to cliché when tackling the supernatural

The intervention of St Pio of Pietrelcina gave me the push I needed

Amid new rumours of a deal with the Holy See, persecution of Christians is at its highest level since the Cultural Revolution

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The Vatican still does not grasp the gravity of the abuse crisis. That is the inescapable conclusion after the events of the past week. Let’s review the latest developments: ■ A leaked report from the German Church said that between 1946 and 2014, 1,670 priests abused 3,677 minors. ■ A Dutch newspaper alleged that between

✣ Pope calls unprecedented abuse summit What happened? Pope Francis has called the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences to a summit in Rome in February to “speak about the prevention of abuse of minors and vulnerable adults”. The announcement came after the Pope held a three-day meeting with his council of cardinal advisers. Among

✣ Highlights from the week online An inspirational presence at Mass At the Catholic Thing, Michael Pakaluk said he likes to attend an early morning Mass – partly because his faith is helped by the mothers with small children. Their mere presence at Mass – given all the trouble of getting children ready and out

Reading, Berkshire Bishop creates Britain’s first ‘personal parish’ for Old Mass The bishop of Portsmouth has established a “personal parish” in Reading for Catholics attached to the traditional Latin Mass. It is the first of its kind in Britain. The parish, dedicated to St John Fisher, will be served by priests from the Priestly Fraternity

An ill-judged photo overshadows a meeting between the Pope and US bishops Last week may have been one of the toughest of Francis’s pontificate. A mere list of the stories that broke or saw major developments –­ most of them very bad ­– would run well over the allotted column space. The following is a